Father Joseph Illo, pastor of Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, gave a 12-minute homily on Sunday, January 30.
Father welcomed the students and faculty of the classical school associated with the parish and explained that the night before there had taken place the dramatization of Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, the African-American priest from Illinois.
“People were weeping, clapping. Bishop Barber was in the audience and on fire, saying he wants to bring this to his diocese of Oakland.”
Then Father Illo spoke on the subject of Catholic schools: “Catholic schools are a prophetic voice. Catholic schools began with Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton in Baltimore in 1809.
“Catholic schools were established for poor children. But over the years many schools have lost their foundational purpose. Many schools became private institutions for middle and upper-class children, most of whom were non-Catholics or non-practicing Catholics.
“Catholic schools used to be on fire for the Gospel. But many of them no longer teach the full Gospel of Jesus Christ with conviction. They avoid teachings that would make their many non-believing families uncomfortable.
“That’s what I experienced and all priests I talk to experience.
“When I came to Star of the Sea in 2014, the archbishop directed me to improve the school’s Catholic identity.
“Within a few months a small group of parents were trying to force me out. At a meeting some of them asked me what I wanted Star of the Sea to teach about abortion or same-sex marriage. I replied that our school would teach Catholic truth and Christ’s Gospel as found in the Bible and in the Catechism.”
15-second excerpt:
“One of the moms spoke and said flat-out, ‘We don’t want Catholic truth, we don’t want the Gospel. We want Catholic values. Values change. Values are adaptable to the culture. Catholic truth does not change.'”
Oh great! The kids learn about same sex marriage in grade school.
Is it possible you misunderstood Fr. Illo? I’m pretty sure they won’t be teaching grade school children at Star of the Sea School about same-sex so-called marriage. They may be teaching children what marriage is (and not teaching them what marriage is not). The emphasis is on the Gospel and truth, what we believe (more than it’s on a variety of deviations from Catholic morality and faith).
What YFC is really upset about is that the children will be taught that marriage is exclusively between one man and one real woman.
It follows as night the day, that YFC will slander by implication any good priest that seeks to do the right thing. He does it like clockwork.
YFc doesn’t understand basic design
Anne TE, thank you for instructing me about my own emotions. Like clockwork, you pretend you know people’s emotions and never miss an opportunity to insult a fellow catholic. I haven’t slandered anybody….by implication or otherwise…in my post.
Keep up speaking the truth. God bless Father Illo. If I can help in any way, please let me know. I am recently retired and able bodied with a good car so I can travel. Please let me know what I can do to help you.
That quote from a mom contradicts itself. I don’t know what it is trying to say. That Catholic values are not truth and not Gospel values??? Is there a “not” where it doesn’t belong?
That mom means “values” as in some vague “social justice” sense like the Jesuit-affiliated universities that tout “Jesuit values” and ignore Jesus and Saint Ignatius. I was in a class where a student asked the Jesuit priest teacher why he referred to a “Jesuit education” rather than a “Catholic education.” He replied, in a sarcastic tone, “It’s not like we’re Steubenville!” Maybe she’s an alumna of USF or Santa Clara.
St Ignatius wouldn’t even be allowed at a Jesuit university today. And that’s just because he was a true man, not because he was a true Catholic.
I am guessing by what I ran into years ago but she may mean “how we treat each other.”